Wednesday, January 30, 2013

One of the most chilling aspects of John Key's state of the nation is his desire to vastly expand his private prison corporate gulags. Thanks to earlier changes by this Government, any prisoner not willing to work 40 hours per week for private prisons will not be eligible for parole. This isn't about job training or rehabilitation, these are forced labour camps.

Have we gotten to such an insane position thanks to Garth McVicar, the Sensible Sentencing Trust and a mainstream media who myopically focus on crime porn to boost ratings that we will all willingly allow forced labour camps to happen on our watch? Is this the worst example of hate and anger belong allowed to warp social policy?

By 2014 NZ will have the highest percentage of prisoners in private prisons than any other country on the planet. These prisoners will be forced to work for the profit margins of private prisons.

It seems the only employment the 270 000 children in poverty and the 7.3% unemployed can look forward to is the 40 hours they will be forced to work in John Key's corporate gulags. We have the 6th worst incarceration rate in the world, now there is a profit motive for forced labour from these private prisons, expect our incarceration rate to rocket up even higher.

Forced labour private prison corporate gulags are an abomination, and it's an abomination we are allowing on our watch. This is evil, it's as simple as that.

4 Comments:

I have to agree bomber but I really can't see any alterations to the criminal justice act NOT enforcing parole. Key and the wankers of his ilk and party have no idea of the real world and such backward steps in our penal system breach UN member agreements and basic human rights.The problem is NZ has no political opposition to National's culture of greed and 'fuck the downtrodden'.look at the drivel spouted by that total dumbfuk SLATER pawn of the national party.Keep up the good work brother.

Hey Bomber nice work. Could you please post a source regarding the statement that NZ will have the highest percentage of prisoners by 2014? I'm inclined to believe you but I'd like to see it with my own eyes. Is it based off current rates of incarceration continuing to trend upwards? Thanks for all your work.

@RoriusmaximusCould you please post a source regarding the statement that NZ will have the highest percentage of prisoners by 2014?

It's not across ALL prisons, just private prisons (as Bomber clearly states). NZ has a truly shameful incarceration rate, in any case.http://www.rethinking.org.nz/assets/Newsletter_PDF/Issue_94/Synod_Prison_Task_Group_Incarceration_in_NZ.pdf

No words could properly express my absolute disgust for this sinister, deranged piece of policy.

Being raised with the many stories of my father, who worked as slave labour during the war under Nazism and again after the war because he stood up against the barbarity of communism during the Stalinist era. I find it absolutely shocking and damning of this country how we can witness a maniac soil our egalitarianism with such vile arrogance as in yesterday’s speech.

My father immigrated here to escape the horror in Europe at that time. His homeland was awash with utter terror and after defecting to Western Europe, the quality of life was much better however the terror followed as many fellow defectors were murdered by the NKVD/KGB over time. The CIA also made life difficult upon arrival, being imprisoned and interrogated most nights of the week upon the ludicrous suspicion of being a spy.

At least this country with whatever faults there may be, guaranteed a decent quality of life in which to raise a family and prosper. However this government is simply ruining all this country used to stand for, this latest piece of policy is contrary to the reasons my father came here. He did not come to this country to see his children or grandchildren face the prospect of potential slave labour. He came here for the freedom and belief that such injustice and terror will never be a reality here.

We know what will potentially come; tougher penalties for minor offenses, now involving prison time and hence forced labour, all part of National and Act’s feeble manifesto of “getting tough on crime”.

We know who will be the prisoners/slaves: minorities (Maori, Pasifika), the poor, youth, the many imprisoned on drug related charges, etc. It’s disgusting how many struggling to find paid employment will be provided with ample employment when it’s all for nothing.

It’s disgusting how with a whole generation of young people who are relegated to a social scrapheap; many could find their first job as slave labour, with the system demanding their gratitude in the name of “rehabilitation”.

Those who deserve this treatment are those who draft this policy, they are the criminals for their woeful negligence of managing this country. They are responsible for the many suicides, theft of livelihoods, despair and deterioration of health of many in this country. The current prison population couldn’t hope to match the destructive power of the criminals in charge.

This madness must end. Whatever vestiges of credibility remain with this so called government surely has flown out the window with this latest obscene policy.

With all the sheep-like attitude and schadenfreude exhibited in this country’s society, I have my doubts over collective change from below. However with this government’s violation of more and more of society, they may encounter a lion amongst the herd discontent with being lead to slaughter. One who will stand up and inspire confidence in others with nothing to lose and spark action.